Tourists have found themselves in a near-death situation after coming into contact with a group of bison during their hikes.
Now, it's pretty common knowledge that if you come into contact with any wild animal, let alone a 2000lbs bison, leave it alone.
However, in this day and age, it seems as though people's need to capture the moment is more pressing than their personal safety, so much so that they would risk their lives just to get a low-quality selfie with the animal.
But the consequences of the situation can be dire, as some tourists discovered at Yellowstone National Park.
Shocking footage uploaded to the Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone showed multiple instances of different tourists pushing their luck at the hiking trail after coming into contact with the brutish animal.
In one video which was posted to the account on May 21, you can clearly see a woman reaching out toward a bison while the group she was with watched the entire ordeal. Within a split second, the wild beast lunges forward almost as if it was going to attack her, which sent her running away immediately.
Her friends also move away from it, as she stumbles in a different direction.
The caption on the post read: "The consequences of a bison selfie attempt! Always be bison aware‼️"
People in the comments weren't at all surprised at the tourist's ill-advised actions, with many wondering "how humans have survived this long as a species..."
In a separate video, another fearless (or silly, depending on the way you want to look at it) woman approached a bison that was grazing on some grass in an attempt to take a selfie. And while the animal remained peaceful and seated, onlookers told the account that the tourist had "infuriated" them due to her "arrogance."
"Queen Touron of Yellowstone," read the caption of this video posted on Sunday. "Sighted at Biscuit Basin. She was trying to pet it. It was insane. Like inches. Her arrogance was so infuriating. People were telling her to move away and she kept posing for like 10 minutes."
And of course, social media users weren't forgiving to this unidentified woman either with some even wishing there were more serious consequences for her actions including being "trampled" or "arrested."
According to the official National Park Service website, there are four rules that visitors must follow in order to protect themselves as well as those around them including never approaching or feeding wildlife, staying on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas and never parking in the road or blocking traffic.
They also added that bison are one of the main causes of injuries at Yellowstone given the fact that they are "unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans."
"Always stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from bison," officials warned.
Other wild animals that hikers can come into contact with during their hike at the National Park include wolves, elk and bears.
Stay safe out there, folks!
